Brazil Rejects $20 Million Donation To Fight Amazon Fires

Bolsonaro turns down aide money for Amazon fires As forest fires in the Amazon rainforest burn through areas the size of three football fields per minute, Brazil rejected a...

(Photo Credit: REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo)

Bolsonaro turns down aide money for Amazon fires

As forest fires in the Amazon rainforest burn through areas the size of three football fields per minute, Brazil rejected a $20 million donation to help contain the fires. Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, has been defiant in the face of international criticism and calls to act immediately to contain the fires.

Bolsonaro said he would deploy Brazil’s army to help fight the fires and didn’t need outside help.

“The Amazon rainforest is an essential part of our history, our territory and everything that makes us feel,” Bolsonaro said. “Being Brazilian, our wealth is invaluable both in terms of biodiversity and natural resources…Protecting the forest is our duty, acting to combat illegal deforestation and any other criminal activities that put our Amazon at risk.”

World leaders gathered at the G-7 Summit pledged $20 million in international aid to fight the forest fires, but Bolsonaro said Brazil wasn’t interested. Bolsonaro has lashed out at Western leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest–the lungs of our planet which produces 20% of our oxygen–is on fire. It is an international crisis,” Macron tweeted.

In response, Bolsonaro accused Macron of having a “colonialist” mindset and said that other nations should stay out of Brazil’s business.